Nonrefillable barrel



Patented Apr. i3, 193? UNITE TATES NGNREFILLABLE BARREL Robert C. Brushe, West Allis, Wis., assignor to Pressed Steel Tank Company, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsin Application August 19, 1935, Serial No. 36,775

16 Claims.

This invention relates in general to non-refillable barrels and especially to a barrel of this character designed and adapted for use in transporting and storing liquids which are to be dispensed therefrom.

One example of an advantageous use to which such a barrel may be put is in connection with the distribution of lubricating oil. Some producers of lubricating oil put out a high grade product under their trade-name which is prominently displayed on the barrel containing the oil. This serves very well to identify the product as long as the original contents of the package are being dispensed therefrom but experience has shown that unscrupulous persons quite frequently refill such barrels with an inferior product and dispense the latter as the higher grade oil which the trade-name or trade-mark on the barrel designates.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a barrel or container which may be of any conventional or desired construction so far as the shape, appearance or general structure of the barrel is concerned but which is so constituted and organized that it may not be refilled except by authorized persons and yet may be conveniently utilized to dispense all or any part of the contents of the barrel.

Another object is to provide a non-refillable barrel of this character which is simple in its construction, capable of easy, ready and econominal production and reliable, efiective and convenient in use.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain 5 novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary View partly in transverse vertical section and partly in elevation showing one construction embodying the present invention and showing the wrenches in position for disassembling the structure;

Figure 2 is a group view in perspective illustrating the key or wrench arrangement for assembling or disassembling the structure;

Figure 3 is a view in transverse cross section taken on line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of the closure plug for the barrel.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l designates the body of a barrel or similar container which may be of any suitable construction and which is entirely closed except for a single opening 2. Of course, a suitable vent may be provided, one such vent being indicated at H1 in Figure 1. A bushing 3 has a reduced inner end 4 inserted in the opening and is permanently 5 secured in position by means of a weld 5.

A removable bushing 6 is threadedly interconnected with the bushing 3 as indicated at I and when it is assembled with the barrel its noncircular flange 8 compresses a fiber washer 9 10 between itself and the upper face of the bushing 3 to provide a seal between these parts. The bushing 3 is formed with a thickened inner end I!) centrally apertured and internally threaded so as to be adapted for interconnection with the 15 upper end of a pipe or conduit H.

The upper end of the pipe II is permanently secured to the heavy lower end of the bushing 6 by virtue of the tapered threaded interconnection of these parts and also by means of a weld 20 i2. Obviously, the pipe II and bushing B may be permanently secured together in other appropriate ways. The lower end of the pipe II is threadedly interconnected with and welded to a collar l3 which, in the assembly, is a snug work ing fit in the upper bore M of a cylindrical valve casing l5.

The casing I5 is, as shown, vertically positioned in the lower part of the barrel and has its lower end permanently secured to but spaced from the bottom of the barrel. For this purpose, footpieces I6 may be integrally formed with or suitably secured to the lower end of the cylinder and be welded as at IT to the barrel bottom.

The collar I3 is interconnected with the valve casing l5 by means of a tubular lock nut l8 threadedly interconnected with the collar l3 as at It and with the cylinder as at 2B. The threads which interconnect the lock nut with the collar l3 and the cylinder 55 are left-hand threads whereas the threads between the bushing 6 and the bushing 3 are right-hand threads. This arrangement makes it impossible to assemble or disassemble the structure by turning the bushing 6. Assembly or disassembly may be effected only 45 by manipulating the lock nut I8. The action had by the opposite threads may be approximated by making the threads 19 and 20 of different pitch from those between bushings 6 and 3.

In order to preclude the manipulation of the 50 lock nut M3 by anyone except authorized persons, the interior thereof is smooth and of circular cross section but at one place in its periphery it is provided with a socket 2! of irregular or any predetermined configuration. This socket is de- 55 signed to coact with a wrench of special construction, a Wrench in the nature of a key, which may be conveniently utilized to rotate the lock nut and assemble or disassemble it. One such wrench or key structure is illustrated as consisting of a bar 22, terminating at its lower end in a socket engageable projection 23 designed and adapted to interfit with the socket 2I. The upper end of the bar 22 may be angled as at 24 to facilitate its manipulation. Cooperable with the bar 22 is a slotted bar 22 formed of straight stock and having an angled handle 25 at its upper end. The slot 26 of this cooperable wrench is designed to interfit with the bar 22 when the two parts are properly positioned in the pipe'II and the projection 23 is engaged in the socket 2|. With the parts in this position, upon turning the handle 25 the lock nut may be rotated to back it off of the collar I3 or to interengage it therewith.

Suitable means is provided in the valve casing I5 for permitting passage of oil out through the pipe but precluding flow of oil down therethrough and into the barrel. This means comprises a foot valve or check valve and is constituted by forming a valve seat 30 in the casing I5 below the lock nut and providing a valve 3| to cooperate with this valve seat. The valve 3I is biased to closed position wherein it blocks down-flow of oil through the pipe. Under the influence of suction applied to the pipe II it is pulled away from its seat to permit out-flow of oil. The biasing of the valve may be simply a matter of its seating under the action of gravity or its weight may be supplemented by providing an expansible coil spring 32 between the valve and the lock nut.

From the drawing it will be understood that the valve casing I5 has a longitudinal opening therethrough communicating at one end with the lower end of the pipe 'II and at its other end with the interior of the barrel adjacent the bottom thereof. The lower end of this longitudinal opening may be covered by a suitable filter or screen 40.

As illustrated, the bushing 6 is provided with a countersunk and internally threaded opening 35 withwhich a closure plug 36 may be interthreaded to close the barrel. The closure plug may seat against a suitable washer 31.

The threads of the opening 35 may also be used as a means whereby a pump (not shown) may be conveniently attached to the barrel.

With the barrel full of oil and the pump in position, operation of the pump will draw oil from the interior of the barrel past the valve 3I and through the valve casing and pipe I l to the pump and thence into the receptacle or the like into which the oil is to be dispensed. However, any down-flow of oil through the pipe II and valve casing I5 back into the barrel is prevented by the automatic closing of the valve 3I.

It is to be understood, however, that the wrenches 22 and 22' are not ordinarily positioned in the pipe and are only used when it is desired to disassemble the structure to refill the barrel or when the structure is assembled.

In disassembling the structures the wrench 22 is inserted down through the pipe I I and its projection 23 entered into the socket 2 I. The wrench 22' is next inserted in the pipe I I with its slot 26 accommodating the wrench part 22, in the manner shown in Figure 1. Then, by turning the handle 25in a counter-clockwise direction the lock nut It will be backed down until the threads I9 are disengaged. Sufiicient clearance is provided in the valve casing as indicated at M to allow this action. When the lock nut I8 is disengaged from the collar I3 a wrench may be applied to the non-circular flange 8 of the bushing 6 and the bushing turned to disengage the threads I and permit withdrawal of the bushing 6, together with the pipe II and its collar I3. With these parts takenout the barrel may be readily refilled inasmuch as there is now an unobstructed opening through the bushing 33. Obviously, a new supply of oil may be introduced from any suitable source of supply through the unobstructed opening of the bushing 3 into the interior of the barrel. The operation is reversed to assemble the parts.

While I have shown and described one construction in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this construction has been selected merely for illustration and example and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening, a conduit in the container, a threaded connection between one end of the conduit and the margin of the opening, a valve casing within and secured to the container adjacent the bottom thereof, a valve in said valve casing, and means for releasably interlocking the lower end of the conduit and the valve casing, said means being accessible for releasing purposes only through the conduit and by means of a special tool.

2. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening, a conduit in the container, a threaded connection between one end of the conduit and the margin of the opening, a valve casing within and secured to the container adjacent the bottom thereof, a valve in said valve casing, and means for releasably interlocking the lower end of the conduit and the valve casing, in combination with a tool insertable through the conduit and co-operable with the interlocking means between the conduit and the valve casing for releasing the same.

3. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening in its top, a pipe within the barrel, a threaded connection between the upper end of the pipe and the margin of said opening, a valve casing within the barrel and secured to the bottom thereof, said valve casing accommodating the lower end of the pipe, a valve in said valve casing and a lock nut threadedly interconnecting the pipe and the valve casing and having its threads oppositely arranged with respect to the threads between the upper end of the pipe and the margin of said opening.

4. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening in its top, a pipe within the barrel, a threaded connection between the upper end of the pipe and the margin of said opening, a valve casing within the barrel and secured to the bottom thereof, said valve casing accommodating the lower end of the pipe, a valve in said valve casing and a lock nut threadedly interconnecting the pipe and the valve casing and having its threads oppositely arranged with respect to the threads between the upper end of the pipe and the margin of said opening, in combination with a wrench insertable in the pipe and having a portion adapted to coact with the lock nut for rotating the same.

5. A non-refil1able barrel comprising a container having an opening in its top, a pipe within the barrel, a threaded connection between the upper end of the pipe and the margin of said opening, a valve casing within the barrel and secured to the bottom thereof, said valve casing accommodating the lower end of the pipe, a valve in said valve casing and a lock nut threadedly interconnecting the pipe and the valve casing and having its threads oppositely arranged with respect to the threads between the upper end ofthe pipe and the margin of said opening, in combination with a wrench insertable in the pipe and having a portion adapted to coact with the lock nut for rotating the same, said wrench consisting of a pair of parts, one of which has a slot to accommodate the other and one of which is provided with a handle.

6. A barrel having an opening through which its contents may be dispensed, a conduit releasably interconnected with the margin of the opening and extending down into the barrel, a check valve for preventing flow of liquid through the conduit into the barrel but allowing flow of liquid from the barrel through the conduit to the exterior, and a locking device within the barrel for preventing removal of the conduit, in combination with a special tool insertable through the conduit and cooperable with the locking device to release the same.

'7. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening from which the contents of the container may be dispensed, a pipe in the container, means connecting one end of the pipe with said opening, a fixture secured within the barrel, and means cooperating with said fixture and the other end of the pipe for securing the pipe against removal, said means being releasable only upon predetermined operation exerted thereon through the pipe.

8. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening through which the contents of the container may be dispensed, means for releasably connecting one end of the conduit to said opening, a valve casing within and secured to the container, means operatively inter-relating the other end of said pipe and said valve casing, a locking device for releasably securing said pipe to said valve casing, said locking device being releasable upon the application of a predetermined force thereto, said force being exerted by means introduced through said pipe, and a valve in said valve casing effective to prevent flow through the pipe into the container while providing for flow of the contents of the container out through the pipe. 9. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening through which the contents of the container may be dispensed, a pipe within the container, a bushing arrangement interconnected with the outer end of the pipe and releasably interconnected with the margin of the opening, a valve casing secured to the bot tom of the barrel, a collar connected to the lower end of the pipe and interfitted'with said valve casing, a locking device for securing said collar to said valve casing, and a valve in said valve casing.

10. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container having an opening through which the contents of the container may be dispensed, a pipe within the container, a bushing arrangement interconnected with the outer end of the pipe and releasably interconnected with the margin of the opening, a valve casing secured to the bottom of the barrel, a collar connected to the lower end of the pipe and interfitted with said valve casing, a bushing threadedly interconnecting the collar and the valve casing, and having means adapted to coact with a tool inserted through the pipe whereby it may be released and the pipe may be disassembled from the container.

11. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container closed except for a single opening, a pipe having one end releasably interconnected with a margin of the opening and having means therein for preventing in-fiow of liquid through the pipe while permitting out-flow therethrough, and means within the barrel releasable in a predetermined manner only and cooperable with a portion of the pipe within the barrel for holding the pipe against removal.

12. A non-refillable barrel comprising a container closed except for a single opening, a pipe having one end releasably interconnected with a margin of the opening and having means therein for preventing in-fiow of liquid through the pipe while permitting out-flow therethrough, and means within the barrel releasable in a predetermined manner only and cooperable with a portion of the pipe within the barrel for holding the pipe against removal, in combination with a releasing device insertable through the pipe for releasing said last-mentioned means.

13. An non-refillable barrel comprising a container substantially closed except for a single opening, a pipe extending into the barrel, a threaded bushing arrangement for interconnecting the outer end of the pipe with the margin of the opening, said bushing arrangement and said pipe being permanently connected, a collar permanently connected to the inner end of the pipe, a cylinder permanently connected to the barrel and into which said collar is a working fit in the assembly, a lock nut threadedly interconnecting the collar and the cylinder and having its threaded connection opposite that of the threaded connection between the bushing arrangement and the barrel, said lock nut, when released from engagement with the collar, permitting the assembly and disassembly of said pipe and said bushing arrangement.

14. A non-refillable barrelcomprising a container substantially closed except for a single opening, a pipe extending into the barrel, a threaded bushing arrangement for interconnecting the outer end of the pipe with the margin of the opening, said bushing arrangement and said pipe being permanently connected, a collar permanently connected to the inner end of the pipe, a cylinder permanently connected to the barrel and into which said collar is a. working fit in the assembly, a lock nut threadedly interconnecting the collar and the cylinder and having its threaded connection opposite that of the threaded connection between the bushing arrangement and the barrel, said lock nut, when released from engagement with the collar, permitting the assembly and disassembly of said pipe and said bushing arrangement, socket of predetermined configuration, in combination with a wrench arrangement adapted to be inserted through the pipe and having a projection fittable into said socket.

15. A barrel comprising a closed container having a dispensing opening, a pipe leading from said opening to a point adjacent the bottom of the container, a check valve associated with the inner portion of said pipe to preclude flow through the pipe into the interior of the barrel while providing for flow from the interior of the said collar having an internal barrel out through the pipe, means connecting the pipe with the margin of the dispensing opening, and a locking device for securing the pipe against removal, said locking device being releasable in a predetermined manner only, said pipe when removed allowing refilling of the barrel, in combination with a special releasing device insertable in said barrel to release said locking device in said predetermined manner.

16. A barrel of the character described comprising a container having an opening through which access to the interior of the barrel may be had, a bushing releasably interconnected with the margin of the opening, means associated with the bushing and effective'when the bushing is interconnected with the margin of said opening to prevent filling of the barrel, said means providing for the dispensing of the contents of the barrel therefrom, and locking means efl'ective to prevent disconnection of said bushing from the margin of said opening, said locking means being releasable in a special predetermined manner only and by means of special tools, said bushing, when said locking means is released, being manipulatable from the exterior of the barrel to efiect its disconnection from the margin of said opening.

ROBERT C. BRUSHE. 

